“Thought it was a joke”: Sergio Aguero opens up on Lionel Messi’s Barcelona exit

Sergio Aguero had a short spell as a Barcelona player last year. The Manchester City legend joined the Blaugrana on a free transfer last summer after his contract at the Etihad had run out.

One of the main reasons for Aguero to sign for Barça on a contract with reduced wages was because of his desire to play with Lionel Messi.

The striker is one of Messi’s best friends and while the pair have played together for the Argentine national team, Aguero wished to join forces with him at the club level too.

However, only a month after Aguero signed, he was treated to the shock news that Barcelona were going to lose Messi as a free agent after his contract could not be extended due to the financial issues that the Blaugrana were mired in.

Opening up on his feelings soon after learning about the news of Messi’s departure, Aguero told Jose Alvarez:

“How did I find out about Messi’s departure from Barça? I was with Ibai drinking mate and suddenly… he looks at the phone and says to me: ‘No, is this true?’ and shows me the phone with the Barça official announcement.”

“When Barcelona announced Messi’s departure I thought someone had hacked Barça’s social networks. I thought it was a joke,” Aguero added.

Messi’s departure from Barcelona came as a huge shock not just for Aguero but the entire footballing world. Having left the Catalans, the Argentine legend joined Paris Saint-Germain on a Bosman deal and went on to win the Ligue 1 title in his debut season in France.

As for Aguero, the veteran was forced into early retirement midway through the 2021/22 campaign after he endured an episode of cardiac arrhythmia while on the field for Barcelona.